Artisan Market organisers have called on shoppers to turn out and support this Sunday's event following a fall in visitors.

Stallholders have reported a drop in sales since the market moved from Saturdays to Sundays.

The move came after a survey of business owners recommended the change.

Up to 10,000 people are believed to have attended the markets when they were held on Saturdays.

But since they were moved to Sundays in Novembers organisers say that footfall is

around 40 per cent down and more than half of the stallholders have reported reduced sales.

Denise Valente and Vicky Jackson, who run the monthly event, have called on people to get behind the market.

They said they have looking at ways to make Sundays work, including shuttle buses.

Denise said: “We’re putting out a call for support.

“We’ve had messages from the public concerned the market was not as vibrant and bustling last month.

“January is nearly always a quiet month and we were missing some of our regular Wilmslow characters.

“This was compounded by far fewer visitors.

“We need everyone to accept the decision has been made to move it to a Sunday and that is unlikely to change, but I also want people to realise that unless they support it on Sundays, market traders will leave and it will wither as have many before it.

“I will do everything I can to make Sunday successful – the key to this is getting residents and visitors to come along on Sunday.

“Hopefully more shops will look to open too.

“We’re hoping people will show the market some love this Valentine’s weekend.”

More than 100 artisan traders are expected to be at the event.

It comes as a shopkeeper called for the market organisers to resist any pressure to move to the event back to a Saturday.

Claire O’ Grady, who runs Leonards’s menswear shop on Parsonage Green with husband Andrew, said they suffered a 30 per cent drop .

She said: “Our regular customers avoided Wilmslow like the plague on those Saturdays.

“I care about the town and the market was detrimental on a Saturday, but works on a Sunday.

“I’m sorry market traders take less on a Sunday, but the shops who have been in Wilmslow for many years and pay extortionate rent and rates must come first.”